How to build your brand as a manager.

If you have scrolled LinkedIn recently, you might have encountered people discussing personal brands. Many tips and tricks tell you how to get this essential thing right. You might have encountered professionals who provide personal branding services and help you create an authentic version of yourself. But before getting into this storm of narratives and services, let’s unravel what this is all about.

What is a personal brand?

A personal brand refers to someone’s unique skills, knowledge, values, opinions, and personality combination. It makes you stand out from the crowd and ensures you are remembered. Often, a personal brand results over time through unintentional yet frequent actions. For instance, your habit of being on time always becomes a part of your brand once people notice you are never late. Conversely, a personal brand can be deliberate and cultivated, too! 😯

What about managers?

Surprisingly, a personal brand has always been vital for managers, even when the idea did not have this name or popularity to fend for itself. Think of the managers you have worked with; what makes you look up to them? The never give up attitude, constant openness to learning, or the senior’s ability to trust them? All of these are a part of their personal brand; even when you call someone a good manager or a bad manager.

The thing is, you will get branded irrespective of whether you consciously work on it or not.

For managers, a personal brand is like a professional identity package – it encompasses everything from your expertise in your field to how you present yourself on social media, from how you communicate to the values you uphold or how you deal with your team or others in the workplace. 🎯

What makes a manager’s brand?

Let’s break this idea down into simpler terms. When you think of someone’s personal brand, what are the aspects?

• Skills and knowledge relevant to the area of work help position them as an expert. 🧠
• Attitude and behavioral attributes make them a great asset. 🏄
• Values guide the above two – their openness to learning and building consistently. 🎉
• The story ties it all together. Knowing someone’s story helps you empathize easily; it shows you are interacting with their authentic self. ☘️

Building your brand: 3 things you can start today

First and foremost, sit down with a blank paper and pen, and think of yourself with the framework we saw above. What are your skills and expertise? What attitudes and values have guided their formation? And most importantly – what’s your story? Have your main character moment and define who you are. ⭐

Then:

• Optimize your social media profiles: You can find detailed guides and tips for making the best use of every platform, like this one for LinkedIn. Optimization ensures that you present the most compelling version of yourself. 🔗
• Write and speak: When you think of experts in your area, how often is it someone who does not write or talk about their work? It’s pretty rare, I’d bet. So let’s get you there too. In the simplest forms, you can start with posting on social media. Creating a blog post and attending events as a speaker can be the next steps. 🎤
• Guide others: Guiding and mentoring are key skills of effective managers. It sets them apart because it shows their genuine care and responsibility toward their team. Such consistent engagement helps build a positive reputation (along with the obvious professional benefits.) 🧑🏫

Personal branding does sound like a lot, but often it’s quite simple. It’s about putting your authentic self at the forefront to build long-lasting connections. If you have any more doubts about what skills to work on or how to mentor people effectively, you can talk to Risely’s AI coach, Merlin, for free here. 🤖